ChatGPT Earns College Degrees
How Students Misuse AI to Cheat on College Assignments
By Mitchell Kayal, Assistant Editor
ChatGPT, tThe popular generative artificial intelligence (AI) tool, has taken the college scene by storm with students using it for the completion of course assignments.
ChatGPT is an AI program developed by OpenAI. As a generative AI tool, it enables users to quickly generate new content based on a variety of prompts. Inputs and outputs to these models can include text, images, sounds, animation, 3D models or other types of data.
“It can only answer what it is told. It can’t reason your thought process,” said Trevor Grafflin, an academic coach in the Institute for Achievement of Learning.
Most students misconstrue ChatGPT as a website that can answer everything. While this is partially true, the AI tool is prone to making false statements or simply providing inaccurate information.
“It’s up to us to teach students how to use this properly and efficiently to make use of this new technology,” said Jennifer McFarland, an assistant professor in the College of Communication and Design. “For this generation, it is their version of Google.”
ChatGPT can be a beneficial resource that, to some extent, is allowed and used by professors at Lynn. Lynn has engaged in several training sessions to help and guide professors to help teach and educate students on how not to misuse the technology.
Many students continue to use the program on a daily basis. The technology is here to stay, but knowing how to use the program assistively and ethically will be an essential skill for students as they prepare to enter their careers.
Before using any AI for academic purposes, read the Lynn University Academic Integrity Policy and speak to your instructors directly.
Above: Lynn students discussing classwork with a professor. Photo/Lynn University.
